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President Donald Trump announced disaster aid for the state of Wisconsin on Wednesday in a decidedly partisan manner, crediting a Republican candidate in the state’s gubernatorial race rather than Wisconsin’s current Democratic governor, who originally made the request for aid.
“I just spoke with Tom Tiffany, who has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Governor of the Great State of Wisconsin,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “I told Tom that I will be approving 17.9 Million Dollars for the Severe Storms and Tornadoes that Wisconsin has experienced.”
“18 Million Dollars should help, A LOT,” Trump added. “See you soon, Wisconsin.”
The request was formally made by Gov. Tony Evers (D-Wisconsin) in August, after an EF-3 tornado and its accompanying storms destroyed homes and other structures in Menasha and additional parts of the Fox Valley area of the state in late July. The amount Trump approved is about $4 million less than what , and the delay in approval has forced several communities’ residents to launch fundraising drives on their own.
Tiffany, who is a Republican member of the House of Representatives (and is running for governor against Democratic candidate and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley), thanked Trump for the funds.
“Today, President Trump called to let me know that roughly $18 million in aid for Wisconsin has been approved,” Tiffany said in a statement. “I appreciate the administration responding to Wisconsin’s needs.”
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Evers took on a different tone, noting the delay in funding and that the president mentioned a political endorsement as part of his announcement.
“Clearly, President Trump and Congressman Tiffany are continuing to play politics with emergency aid that’s meant to help communities recover in the wake of disasters like tornadoes and floods,” Evers said. “That’s Complete and Total Bullshit.”
Using the announcement of disaster aid funding for political purposes isn’t new to Trump — earlier this year, he made dozens of social media posts following disasters that acknowledged Republican lawmakers or candidates while largely ignoring Democrats who made requests for funds.
The Trump administration’s decisions on how to distribute aid for natural disasters frequently appear to be politically motivated.
An Urban Institute analysis in July examining Trump’s second term found that over 84 percent of aid requests from states that voted for him in the 2024 presidential race received approval, whereas only 41 percent of aid requests from states that voted for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris were approved. Additionally, aid appears to be expedited for red states, as funding is typically sent twice as fast to those places as it is to blue states.
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